Rebel Yell
by Mini Goat
Summary: Han should know better than to agree to things but Leia asks so nice and really, the Rogues could use a good spanner monkey and it's not like his many generations removed cousin can cause much trouble. Can she?
1. Han's hand me down

**It is a dangerous time for the Rebellion. With the help of Han Solo and the Rogue Squadron, Luke Skywalker has destroyed the Death Star. Darth Vader is missing, presumed dead. The rebels have left Yavin IV in fear of retaliation and set up a multi ship base somewhere on the outskirts of the rim in a desperate bid to lie low while the Empire searches for them.**

**The rebels know they are to the man, marked for death if they are found.**

**Low on supplies and in desperate need of additional manpower, Princess Leia has sent out Han Solo and a few others on reconnaissance missions in an attempt to recruit reinforcements and procure desperately needed supplies.**

**The rebels wait with worried hope, they have given the Empire a terrible blow, but they are not yet strong enough to win the war.**

**Princess Leia has set up a liaison with the prince of the Senali, a tall semi humanoid race of the Rutan system.**

Gert covertly looked around the Rebel base, trying not to gawk like an awe struck kid. She mostly succeeded. She didn't notice Han grinning at her, remembering another green kid that had tried just as hard not to gawk. That same kid, a young, shaggy haired blond man walked over to her and smiled at Han.

"Another one?"

"Yah, picked her up causing trouble with an old buddy of mine."

"Any luck with CorSec?"

"Nah, they don't want the Empire hammering on them so they won't take sides either way. Not even the smugglers."

At this point, a young, dark haired Corellian joined them.

"No, you have to burn down their houses to get Corellians to get involved." He said with a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"That's not true Wedge, you can blow up their houses too." Han winked at Wedge in an obvious attempt to take the younger man's mind off why he had joined the Rebellion. "Hey Wedge, the kid is probably starving, go show her the mess hall."

Gert's eyes lit up at the mention of food.

"Don't get too excited kid, the last supply run got us six standard months of five standard year old Imp ration bars."

Gert's face fell.

"Han, don't give her a hard time. There was dehydrated nerf meat too."

Gert's face fell into a glum caricature. "I don't think I want to know what desert is..."

Han, Wedge and Luke looked at each other, grinned, and said in unison "Gort Egg Pie!"

Gert gave them all a pained look. She then glared at Han. "Fine but don't start calling me skinny again."

Han blinked at her innocently. "Aw, common Gert, that was eight years ago." He grinned, "besides, I thought you were cute. For a kid."

"Han, you think anything with legs is cute."

Luke smiled behind his hand. "Um, Han, is she any relation to Leia?"

"Only gender wise." Han growled.

Wedge laughed. "Common, the food isn't as bad as we made it sound, and I'll introduce you to the Rogue Squadron."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Great! X-Wings are Soooo… cool." At this point she started spewing out technical jargon about the relative speed of an X-Wing against a Tie fighter for both vacuum and atmosphere and why though it is slower, it's maneuverability and shielding and adaptability made the X-Wing is a superior craft.

Wedge and Luke exchanged a look. "Flight crew?"

"Definitely."

"Know how to use a hydrospanner?"

Gert raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "I didn't take shop classes to meet boys." She grinned, "besides, they didn't like it much when my projects worked and theirs did not." Her grin grew, "even when they sabotaged them."

"Sabotage?"

"One time, they stole half the parts out of a wooden model of a sky hopper turbine."

"What happened?"

"I remade the missing parts in two days and aced the project anyways."

"Definitely flight crew." Wedge said with a grin. "Common, the Rogues should be in the mess hall. Tycho will love you."

Gert shrugged at the suggestion and followed Wedge down the hall. She noticed the walls were miss matched prefab that has seen better days. Some of them still had the familiar grey marks of blaster burn. Someone had obviously attempted to clean them off and re-paint them but that was like shaving a nerf. You never really finished and the nerf didn't look any better for it.

The mess hall looked slightly better as someone with obvious (hammerheads?) taste had painted the walls in soothing shades of greens and blues. A group of young men and a couple of other species lounged in one corner like pirates. Some of them at one point, probably were.

One of them was apparently telling a funny story as all but one man who was sitting with a dour smile, were laughing at him. Wedge pointed to each and named them.

"Hey Wes, knock it off for a change so I can introduce you all to your newest flight crew member."

"Huh? But Wedge, I just got to the good part about the… hey… she's pretty. Ok, what's your name gorgeous and when will you marry me?"

Gert gave Wedge a speaking glance reminiscent of a woman betrayed. "call me Gert, and not a chance fly boy, pilots make aggravating husbands."

"Hey! I'm a nice guy!" Wes' tone was obviously injured "Wedge, tell her I'm a nice guy."

"So was General Annoth they say." She said, referring to an Imperial General renown for philandering.

"Wedge, she just accused me of being a flirt. Are you going to stand for that?"

"Not only does she know snub fighters, apparently she's a good judge of character too. Nope, I'm going to let the lady have her dinner because Han never fed her today."

"Han fed me, I'm just always hungry."

Wedge grabbed a tray and ordered enough food for an average person. When he brought it to the table she gave him a funny look.

"What?"

"Is this all I get today?"  
"Well, no, I just figured that was how much you would eat."

"Would you feed this much food to a wookie without expecting him to eat your arm too?"

"Er, well, no, but you aren't even a normal sized human let alone a wookie. And I'd feed the wook his food raw."

Gert rolled her eyes in exasperation and ordered more food while she gobbled down what she had.

A foot away, Wes was turning several shades of green watching her eat. Gert looked up between mouthfuls. Her brows furrowed in concern. "Hey, are you ok?"

"Yah, I just got over the Hesken Fever a week ago is all."

She pushed the food away and dumped it down the nearest disposal.

"Hey, you didn't have to do that."

"I can eat later. It was bothering you. Besides, the color of your face was spoiling my apatite anyways."

Han, Luke, and Leia walked in followed by Chewie and the droids. Han and Leia were bickering and so were the droids. Gert looked at Han and Leia, her eyes widened a moment and then her face went carefully blank. Only Wes, who was still staring at her, noticed.

Luke grinned at Wedge. "We've got a job to do."

"Yah? What are we blowing up this week?"

"Remotes."

"How boring, I was hoping for Imps."

"That's next week. This week we get to show off."

Wes, Tycho, and Hobbie perked up at that.

"We're gonna go impress locals again aren't we? Will we get to be planet side too? Will there be pretty girls?" Hobbie was doing his best to look like an enthusiastic puppy.

"Well, there will be a formal reception at the Prince's mansion after the air show that you all are invited to attend." Leia said.

Hobbie's face fell. "Pretty classy girls." Hobbie grinned again. "Classy girls are ok. Hey Wes, there's gonna be girls."

Wes grinned at Gert "I don't need pretty girls, I'm going to marry Gerty."

Gert started to get the panicked look you see on the face of someone after you hand them a live thermal detonator.

"Hey, she might want to marry someone else Wes." Hobbie pointed out.

"Yah? Like who?"

"She might want to marry me." Tycho said softy.

"You? Nah, your too quiet. I bet she likes someone fun."

"I'm fun."

"Tycho, buddy, you're an ace pilot, but I'm not adding fun to your description." Hobbie continued. "But she _might_ like someone nice. So you're in the running with me and Wedge and Luke."

"Hey! I'm nice!" Wes pleaded again.

"That's because you think she is cute." Hobbie said with a smirk.

"Well, she is, but I'd be nice even if she wasn't."

Han, in an attempt to take pity on Gert, told them that the planet was populated mostly by Senali. Unfortunately, that just made them realize Gert might be the only pretty girl there.

"Do you have a dress?" Hobbie asked. "Hey Han, does she have a dress?"

"How would I know? I guess so."

"Does she have a pretty dress though?" Hobbie turned to Wedge. "Leia has pretty dresses. They look about the same size. Wedge, make Leia loan Gerty a pretty dress."

"Hobbie! You don't _mak_e Princess Leia _do_ anything." Wedge emphasized the princess part a bit to remind Hobbie who he was picking on.

Leia smiled in amusement. It had been a while since anyone but Luke and Han had teased her so it felt good. "It's all right Wedge, he's right in a way, she will need a formal gown. She's a bit thinner than me though so I'll raid Winter's wardrobe and see about shortening the hem for a night, let out the bust too I think."

"You don't need to go to all that trouble, really, I don't need to go."

"Hey kid, if I have to go to this Imp torture session, so do you."

"Han, it is not a torture session, it is an opportunity to gain a valuable ally and some much needed supplies and funds. Unless you have changed completely and don't want to get paid. I'm sure General Rieekan will be glad to hear that." Leia said in a mocking senatorial voice.

"But I don't see why I need to be there. I'm nobody." Gert said uncomfortably.

Leia gave Gert one of her best Imperial Princess smiles. "Of _course_ you need to go. Senali believe strongly in social correctness. You have to go so you can show Wes and Hobbie which fork to use."

"Oh." Gert's expression was somewhat strangled as she grabbed Han's vest on the way by, nearly dragging him off his feet in doing so.

"Hey!"

"We need to talk." Over her shoulder she said "Please excuse us for a moment, we have urgent business." Once outside the mess hall, Gert lit in to Han. "Are you _crazy_?! Han! I can't go to a formal function with dignitaries and the force knows who else! I'll be _recognized_! I'll be arrested! I'll be sent back to CorSec. Hal Horn will give me that sympathetic, fatherly, disappointed look again and this time he won't be able to make it look like I escaped Han! You _can't_ make me do this!"

"Gert, settle down, Leia recognized you."

"What?! How?!"

"You look exactly like your father, that's how. Haven't you ever noticed?"

"My father has a gut and a bald head, no, I never noticed." She said sarcastically.

"Gert, you may be built like your mother but you have your father's eyes. They are a dead give away."

"Exactly Han, that's why I can't go. You know there will be bounty hunters there."  
"Gert, Horn reported you dead. He eye witnessed you being vaped. No one is looking for you." He paused, "and even if anyone is, Leia is very good at making herself hard to recognize, I'm sure she will do the same for you."

"Han, I can't impose on her. She's… well, she's Princess Leia Han. I can't."

"You say that word a lot. Don't let her hear you using it. You _can_ and you _will_. Leia is ok. She can be a bit uppity now and then but she's ok. You'll like her once you know her. She's classy like you but she's got heart."

"But Han…"

"Look Gert, you can whine about this all day but you are still going. Leia will make you, and she will do it real nice so you think it was your idea in the end. You're going Gert."

Gert sighed. "You owe me Han."

"Yah, put it on my tab kid."

They walked back into the mess hall. Gert looked contrite. Han's expression was covertly smug.

"I guess I'll need a dress." Gert sounded reasonably glum.

"Hey, I bet you'll be even prettier in a dress." Wes smiled at Gert hopefully.

She flashed him a polite, slightly panicked and defensive smile.

"Yes," Leia said, "she will. Luke, Han, why don't you go over what the Senali expect with Wedge and the other Rogues while Gert and I go find something drop dead stunning to wear after." She left the room, never looking back to see if Gert followed or not. She knew she would anyway.

Once out of ear shot, Gert made one last attempt to avoid the situation. "You really don't have to do this you know. I'm sure you have more important things to do than this."

Leia smiled over her shoulder and fell in step with Gert. "Gert, I'm not doing this to be nice. Han obviously cares about you, and anyone Han cares about, I care about." Leia looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think most of the Rogues are going to become your big brothers as well. This is all the family I have left Gert. You are a part of that family now."

Gert said nothing as a rather sizeable lump had formed in her throat. No one but Booster and Mirax had called her family in a long time. It hurt just a little.

Leia realized immediately that Get wasn't comfortable and altered her approach a bit. "With your father's beautiful eyes and that lovely pale complexion and dark hair, I imagine you look stunning in green, but everyone has probably seen you in green so I think we should go with a silvery blue to match your eyes.

Gert looked around Winter's room in interest. Leia had led here there and was rifling through an assortment of dresses. "Won't she mind?" Gert finally asked.

"Knowing Winter," Leia said with a fond smile, "she'll just go buy another one." She pulled a blue shimmer silk floor length gown out. It was the color of a Mon Calamari ice burg and had only small fluttering split shoulder sleeves.

Gert looked at the neckline for a long moment. "Ah, Leia… don't you think it's a bit…" Gert put her hands up helplessly.

"Too low?" Leia asked.

"A bit." Gert exclaimed.

Leia looked at the dress again. "A little, but you will look beautiful in it." Which was an understatement in Leia's estimation, the low neckline would accentuate Gert's already long slender neck and the color would emphasize the bright blue under the grey in her eyes. She'd thought about loaning Gert some jewelry as well but she's noticed the large pale blue grey glow stone Gert still wore around her neck on a silver chain. It's simplicity would emphasize how pretty Gert was rather than how sparkly she was. Besides, she'd seen the look Wes had given the girl, his interest was more than just casual flirtation even if he didn't realize it yet.

Gert didn't think she would look beautiful in anything but she could tell anything she said along those lines would fall on deaf ears. Leia was not known for being changeable. In most things it was a trait Gert really admired. Under the circumstances, she would have been happier dealing with Han. She could bully Han.

She got settled in that night and the next day they loaded up for the trip further out on the rim. It was a twenty standard hour trip and Gert spent most of it worrying her chest was going to fall out of that dress at some completely inappropriate time. Pirgi Repeatedly chattered at her about what it was like to be part of the Rogue's main ground crew. Gert half listened and thought about what she thought about the people she'd met already. One in particular came to mind over and over until she got disgusted with herself and worried about her dress. A pretty pair of brown eyes were not going to make her lose her head. Especially not ones on a pilot.


	2. Deplomacy

The next day, they hit planet side, Gert rode with the other techs to the ambassador hostile. She wasn't too sure about the security. The building was open and her sharp eyes noted minimal surveillance and a strikingly short supply of plain cloths security. Sitting gornts if anything happens. She just hoped General Rieekan had brought his own people along with the squadrons. She'd been left out of such details. The gardens did look pretty when they passed over them she decided. She hadn't been in a really nice garden in a couple of years. She didn't suppose they would be letting her play in the dirt much. Leia would probably have fits over her ruining her fresh manicure. It had taken some time to get the grease out from under her fingernails and make them reasonably resemble the hands of the lady she once was as opposed to the spanner monkey she'd become.

Her shuttle touched down around the same time as the Rogues were landing. She followed Pirgi out of the shuttle and caught herself unconsciously looking for an already familiar checker board helmet. She looked down and quickly feigned interest in her pockets when he caught her eye and winked. The Falcon landed next and most everyone's attention shifted openly or covertly to it's occupants. Leia and 3p0 came down the ramp first followed closely by Han who Gert suspected was doing so mostly to enjoy the view as Leia was wearing pale blue slacks and a short darker blue tunic with bell sleeves. Gert was amused by Leia's deliberate casual but not too casual outfit of similar style as their hosts would wear. Chewie had finished shutting down the Falcon and barked a comment at Han who turned around annoyed.

"I don't know, why don't you ask?"

"Ask what?" Leia asked him over her shoulder.

"He wants to know where dinner is."

Leia chuckled and so did Gert for a different reason. Chewie had reprimanded Han for ogling Leia's back not asking about food but she doubted very many people knew enough Shyriiwook to know he'd actually said something along the lines of why are you checking out her rear again not where is the food. She herself only partially understood the question.

Other ships started landing on the pad and most of the Rogues, Han, Leia and Gert's crew moved away to give them room. The Senali delegation walked in surrounded by Prince Leed's personal guard. "Good afternoon Princess, General, Captan." He said, bowing to Leia General Reekan and Han who were standing together at the edge of the platform. "I trust your flight went well?"

Leia plastered her professional smile on and turned to the prince. "Good afternoon Prince Leed, our flight went well and your moon is truly lovely."

"Ah Princess Leia, you grow more beautiful every day." He bowed formally, the warm afternoon sun gleaming off his dark red shimersilk tunic.

Han looked off to the side and rolled his eyes at Chewie who chuckled softly.

"And you grow more handsome every day Prince Leed." Leia gave the prince her best professional politician smile.

"Shall we discus the coming events here in this cold hanger of the comfort of my home princess?" Prince Leed's tone indicated it was not in fact, a request.

"I would enjoy seeing your lovely home Prince Leed, I'm sure it is every bit as beautiful as reputed." She smiled engagingly at him though anyone that knew her knew her eyes had gone cold. "Please allow me to assemble my security and we will join you." There had been recent reports of pirate unrest in the area and General Rieekan had requested Leia to take no unnecessary risks in spite of her extensive self defense training.

"That will not be necessary princess, as you can see, I already have security present." Again, the prince's tone seemed a more a warning than an offer.

"Of course Prince Leed, Han, please com Commander Skywalker and ask him to join us." Her professional smile stayed in place but Han and Rieekan could hear the chill in her voice. She would not be out maneuvered that quickly. "Captain Solo and Commander Skywalker will be coordinating the arial display tomorrow afternoon."

"Very well Princess, please follow me once your staff is assembled." The prince seemed aware that he'd been out maneuvered by the former senator and nodded again.

Luke joined them at that moment. "Leia?"

"Commander Skywalker, I am pleased to introduce you to Prince Leed of the Senali. He was named for his great great grandfather who once saved his system from civil war."

"Ah, nice to meet you sir." Luke noted Leia's formal tone and stood a bit straighter than usual, causing Han to once again roll his eyes.

"Shall we proceed then princess?" The tall prince asked, his head tilted in a Senali version of exasperation.

"Of course."

Han, Chewie, Luke and Rieekan formed up around Leia, effectively blocking any of Prince Leed's two meter tall security entourage from pulling any funny business. Leia openly grinned when the prince wasn't looking, he was too busy giving a history lesson about the buildings they were passing that she already had not only studied, but could probably tell the prince more about their defensibility and structure than he could himself. She glanced around at her honor guard and grinned again. Corellians she though drolly. Luke wasn't one but he spent so much time around Wedge and Han he was starting to act like them as more time went by.

"What a piece of work."

Gert started. Wes had come up behind her without her actively noticing. She heard him chuckle at her much to her chagrin. "Who?"

"The prince. That one likes to play power games just for poodoo and giggles."

Gert nodded in agreement. She was glad Leia was so extremely good at them. In spite of her father's insistence that she possessed natural talent at maneuvering people, Gert had always felt somewhat out of her element dealing with slick oily posturing politicians and envied Leia's poise. "I think they are supposed to be like that."

"Who are?"

"Politicians, I believe it's one of the rules."

Her tone was so dry and mater of fact Wes laughed. He'd only known her a couple of days but he'd figured out Gert had the same dry sarcastic sense of humor Leia did. "Leia is sharp enough to handle him."

"Makes you glad she's on our side isn't it?"

He grinned and chuckled again at her dry tone. "Gerty, you have a unique view of the universe."

Gert turned and looked up at him, her heart did a happy little back flip when she met his eyes. "You don't know…" She never got to finish that sentence. Wedge, Tycho and Hobbie had walked up to join the conversation.

"Wow Wes, I think we finally found someone with a bigger ego than you." Wedge grinned. "Or were you too busy making eyes at Gert to notice that bloated wind bag prince?"

"I noticed." Wes said defensively, he almost had not. He'd locked down his fighter as quickly as he could, always keeping an eye on her position in the crowd of people and gone to where she was standing by some equipment crates as quickly as he'd been able to without looking too obvious about it or so he thought. Of course, half the squad had noticed and nudged each other.

"I wouldn't have noticed." Tycho smiled down at Gert. "Not with something so much more beautiful to look at."

"Why Tycho," Gert said with a warm smile, "You have the soul of a poet."

"Yah and the brain of a mynock." Wes growled.

"You're just mad because he's making moves on the girl you staked out" Wedge said grinning.

"He has to share. We all saw her at the same time." Hobbie had wandered into the conversation just because it looked interesting. Dax was right behind him.

"Yah Wes, you didn't get to call dibs this time." Dax's tone was mockingly whiny and a rather fair impression of Luke."

Wes and Wedge chuckled at the impression.

"Why do I suddenly feel like a bantha bone in a rancor cage?" Gert asked none of them in particular and was not surprised when they didn't pay any attention either.

"I know," Hobbie said enthusiastically, "we'll call rock flimsy vibroblade for her."

"Good idea Hobbie," Dax said. "Wes is bad at that game."

"I am not!"

"Ok, one… two… three…"

Gert threw up her hands and walked away muttering.

"Was it something we said?" Tycho asked no one in particular.


	3. Uneasy Feeling

Gert found her crewmates and went to her quarters to get organized

Gert found her crewmates and went to her quarters to get organized. Leia had her dress on the Falcon with her gown so she had one less thing to worry about. She thought about Wes while she unpacked. It didn't really bother her much to be attracted to the man, he was good looking, what bothered her is that she was attracted to someone so annoying she wanted to punch him already. And what was with the sneaking up on her thing anyways? She was going to have to spend her time chronically aware of the people around her so he couldn't do that and it was exhausting to constantly be on guard. Why can't I ever be attracted to sweet unassuming guys like Tycho she wondered. It's always the smart asses that got under her skin.

She'd had a horrible crush on Han when she was little more than a girl and He'd found it funny but thankfully, only teased her a little bit about it. The Solo and the Yonsz families were now so many generations removed the cousin status was nothing more than habit. She knew very little about Han's family. She knew most of them were gone. When she'd asked her father about it he had frowned sadly and said it was best forgotten. Her mother had glared angrily at her and told her to stay out of it. The best answer she got was from her brother who swore her to secrecy that he'd overheard their parents talking one night about it before she was born. As far as he could figure out, Han's parents and uncle had been trying to get a Jedi to safety and had been betrayed by another family member. He'd been very small at the time and their nanny had caught him skulking around and marched him back to bed. Even his most casual questions about it had also put their parents on the defensive and they decided to not speak of it to their little sister at all. There were several years between each of the children and Gert still missed both of them very much but most of all, like Leia, she missed her father. He'd been her stabilizer to her mom's constant need for attention and reassurance that she was perfect in every way. Her mother's needyness had developed in Gert, a profound mistrust of complements. She found them shallow and often contrived. She knew it was just her mother's upbringing but that didn't make it any less annoying.

Gert would have been surprised to know she was as much on Wes' mind as he was on hers. More surprised had she known what he thought of her. He had not been making it up when he'd said he thought her pretty. She was on the small side though not really petite. Her legs went on forever. He couldn't wait to see her in a dress to see if they were as shapely as the rest of her was. He liked how expressive her large grey blue eyes were and wondered if she knew how easy it was to read her thoughts just looking at her. Her face was almost elfin with the way her eyes tilted up on the outside and her pert nose. He would have called her attractive rather than pretty except when she smiled she took his breath away. Her eyes twinkled and her whole body shook with mirth when she laughed and he decided he'd try to make her laugh as often as possible just to see that. He even found himself liking her uppity mouthyness. If she were a little less defensive she'd almost be Leia's match in personality. He'd noticed her discomfort at him calling her pretty and decided he should figure out what she would appreciate being complemented about.

He'd stood on the balcony of his room daydreaming so long that his stomach finally growled in protest. He rolled his eyes and hoped they didn't have anything too spicy on the menu tonight. The bout with Hesken Fever had left him leery of anything spicy as it tended to make him desperately wish he'd not eaten. Even watching Gert bolt food down as tidily as she'd been doing it had made him a little queasy just thinking about eating that much food that fast. No hope for nerf burgers though he figured as he walked to the fresher to get cleaned up for dinner.

Wes ran in to Tycho in the hall outside of his room. "Pretty nice digs for a bunch of pilots."

"Yah, ever feel like the locals are trying too hard?" Tycho asked dourly.

"Beats the last place. Dormitories at a run down old school no one has lived in for ten cycles." Wes looked around the wide well decorated hall. It was all soft gold shades and white. It quietly shouted classy and Wes wondered how many rich hotel guests had been displaced to house all the members of their Cell. From what he had heard, ground crew and technicians and commandos had also gotten rooms as nice. The Senali were trying too hard. Wes wondered what they were trying to hide with all the gloss and polish.

Hobbie poked his head out of his room. "Food?"

"It crossed my mind." Wes said simply.

"Glad something does."

Wes rolled his eyes. "No respect…"

"Why do you expect any?" Tycho asked him softly.

"Possibly because I'm one of the hottest pilots in the Rebellion?"

"Sure, but you missed the party last time." Hobbie said with a grin.

"I was sick!"

"Excuses… excuses…"

"Ok, you spew your brains out and see how you feel."

"So that's what happened to them." Tycho said.

"Hey! I didn't mean it that way. I _meant_…" he was interrupted by Wedge who had followed the sound of their voices.

"Do you think you could talk a bit louder? I don't think they can hear you down in the basement of this place yet." Wedge grinned at Wes' look. It was hard to embarrass Wes but it was possible. Hobbie just laughed. Tycho shrugged non-commentally. "Anyways, Han and Luke seem to have hashed out the game plan for the aerial display so we need to sit down with the rest of the unit and decide who's flying where and which kind of remotes we're going to vape."

"But I was hungry." Wes said frowning.

"You'll get over it Wes. Grab a ration bar or something."

Wes sighed at the thought of a lovely appetizing nerf burger he wouldn't be eating with the side of fires that were now but a distant dream and plugged his brain into the flight plan Wedge was describing.

Han was sitting in General Reekan expressing the same impression Wes had gotten. "It's just too pretty sir." Han finished with. He'd told the General his impression of the security and echoed Wes' opinion of their temporary quarters being far nicer than should be expected for fugitives.

"I'm not disagreeing Han but without knowing their motives I can't just pull everyone up and make them stay on the ships. It's possible they only wish to impress us with their ability to support our cause and we need that support. There are only so many credits to go around."

"All I'm saying is I don't trust this Prince Leed. He's slick like a freshly greased hutt. I especially don't like that he tried to separate Leia from the rest of us."

"Agreed, we need to keep tight security on the princess to ensure her safety. She's already established you and Commander Skywalker as her personal military coordinators, that gives you both good reason to be around her without arousing too much suspicion."

"Yah, until we have to sleep."

"So have her sleep in your room."

Han choked on the caf he'd just put to his lips and sputtered something incoherent.

"Put a security detail on her at night Han." So it's that way between them Reekan thought. Well, that makes things easier I suppose. He'll have a vested interest in keeping her safe.

"I'm not putting her in my room General. But I will tag some of the Rogues for body guards." Han glared at the other man for suggesting what he had. The last thing he needed was that insufferable stuffy little princess chattering at him morning noon and night.

"Negative. I want the Rogues fresh for the combat display and you as well Solo. Have some of our ground commandos do it. It's what they are trained for."

"I was hoping it would keep some of the more riled up ones out of trouble but that's fine. We'll do it that way. General, one other thing, Why are the Senali offering us help?"

"That Captain Solo, is as much a mystery to me as it is to you. Perhaps Princess Leia knows."

"I'll ask her. Something just isn't adding up. And it seems like every time things are this fishy the Empire shows up to shut us down."

"Agreed. Find out. You'll have opportunity to. I'm sitting you with Commander Skywalker and the Princess during the formal dinner after the show."

"Terrific." Han's tone said otherwise.

Unable to resist the urge to take at least one small dig at the pilot Reekan smiled. "Glad I have your support Captain Solo."

"Yah, I'm all about taking one for the team."

Reekan chuckled and dismissed the younger man so he could get back to his paperwork in relative peace. He agreed with Captain Solo but was just as puzzled as to the reasons why. Something wasn't adding up. Something important, and he hoped Princess Leia figured it out soon because the life of a Rebel became very short when they didn't have the right answers to the problem.


End file.
